Shane Richmond is Head of Technology (Editorial) for Telegraph Media Group. He first joined the Telegraph in 1998 and has been Online News Editor and Communities Editor. He writes about all kinds of technology but especially Apple, iOS, ebooks and ereaders, and digital media.

A £1,000 fine for a Twitter 'bomb threat' is ridiculous

The fact that a man has been fined £1,000 for joking on Twitter about blowing up an airport is absurd. Paul Chambers' remark was stupid and not funny but was it really worth a court case?

On January 6, Chambers learned that Robin Hood Airport, from which he was due to fly a week or so later, was closed because of bad weather. In a moment of anger, he tweeted: 'Cr–! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your sh– together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!"

As I said – stupid and not funny. But the courts are going to be very busy if they attempt to prosecute anyone who says anything on Twitter that could be considered threatening. During the election campaign, for example, I saw numerous tweets from people saying that they wanted to kill or assault this or that politician or commentator. A quick search of Twitter shows people 'planning' to kill cats, dogs, school friends, random celebrities and themselves. Should I call the cops?

Chambers ended up in court because an off-duty staff member saw his tweet and alerted security who, despite considering the threat "non-credible", passed it on to police. The police interviewed Chambers and there, you would think, it should have ended. "You're a naughty boy, son," they should have told him. "You were irresponsible and stupid. Don't waste our time again."

Surely that would be enough?

I can understand that one doesn't shout "fire!" in a crowded theatre and expect to escape the consequences. And we've all seen cases of people pulled aside at airports for making ill-advised jokes about bombs. However, Chambers made his stupid remark well away from the airport and as the police will have discovered, there was nothing to suggest that he intended to carry out his 'threat'.

Now we could consider Twitter to be a public place but that would mean that any such remarks made publicly should be reported. This morning I heard a woman say to her young son: "If you do that again, I'll kill you." Should I alert social services? I passed a poster for a play that advised me to "beg, borrow or steal a ticket" – is that an incitement to theft?

Not everything we say or write should be taken literally. Is the law really arguing that it should be?